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Review: “Translucid” #3

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“Translucid” #3 pushes forward in its ambitious mission to change the way we look at good and evil. As The Navigator falls deeper into his own ambiguous morality, Cornelius is faced with trial after trial of abuse and loss. The mirroring of these two storylines (as one falls, the other falls with him) is quite frankly one of the most captivating aspects of this comic book, especially since the relationship between the two timelines remains ominously unclear.

Translucid_03_coverA-580x891WRITTEN BY: Claudio Sanchez & Chondra Echert

ART BY: Daniel Bayliss

PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: June 18, 2014

Review By: Bree Odgen

“Translucid” is a dark comic book. It proves this fact every month with each new issue. Its creators are absolutely not afraid to push the series and its characters through difficult issue after horrible, tragic, difficult issue. All of the characters are in codependent or abusive relationships. No one seems happy. It’s dark. The difference between “Translucid” and other issue-driven, neurotic stories is the fact that it never quite crosses over into “heavy-handed” territory. All of “Translucid’s” blatant drama feels less like a gloomy raincloud that follows you around, and more like existential villains that propel the story forwards.

“Translucid” isn’t perfect by any means. There are some pieces of dialogue that feel all too obvious, perhaps even a little cliché. Dialogue like The Horse’s sarcastic remark to The Navigator: “I’d almost forgotten that you still believe justice comes at the hands of lawmakers” feels as if the writers don’t entirely trust the readers to pick up on the story’s nuances without spelling it out for us. There are several instances of this particular explanatory dialogue that are saved by the comic’s unique ability to become totally self-aware at the snap of a finger. When The Horse calls out The Navigator with, “You rely on your nemesis to deliver you truth?” the story faults seem to merge back into place. Because during those moments, it feels like The Navigator suffers from poor character development, but the fact that the comic is aware of its character’s stunted growth, transforms it into something that works so well.

The story is dense; I wish there were more issues in which to explore it. It’s difficult to feel really connected to all of the characters because the development is slow. Each new interaction between The Horse and The Navigator has been very similar to the interaction before it. But honestly, these criticisms pale in comparison to the dynamic structure of this series. The concept is deep and the art is ideal on both superficial and expository levels.

My overall hope is that they’re setting up Drake as The Horse. I’ll just set that theory down and back away slowly.

 

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‘The Wicked Trinity’ – Preview New Archie Comics One-Shot Inspired by ‘The Craft’ [Exclusive]

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From Sabrina’s Magical World, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that Archie Comics will be releasing brand new one-shot comic The Wicked Trinity this coming June.

You’ll be able to meet The Wicked Trinity in the 32-page comic on June 12, 2024.

In The Wicked Trinity, “Sabrina’s magical nemesis Amber Nightstone and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, are intent on becoming the most powerful witches in the world. Isolated from so many around them, the three have formed a coven based on their individual needs for vengeance and true freedom.

“But when there is some dissent among the ranks, their small coven is threatened to be obliterated from within.”

The Wicked Trinity features a script by Sam Maggs, art by Lisa Sterle, colors by Ellie Wright, letters by Jack Morelli, main cover by Lisa Sterle, and variant cover by Soo Lee.

Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante tells Bloody Disgusting, “When Editor-In-Chief Mike Pellerito came up with the idea of the Wicked Trinity—Amber Nightstone, Jade Kazane, and Sapphire Gill—I was immediately intrigued. I even had the good fortune to work on the script for Jade and Sapphire’s first appearance in last year’s SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic for younger readers. What I especially loved about these magical teens is that they could seamlessly transcend from classic-Archie stories into more mature, even horror stories. I was eager to start developing their world with a modern sensibility, taking cues from the great work of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish on our SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series, and Sarah Kuhn and Carola Borelli on our recent DARKLING one-shot. Inspired by series like Charmed and films like The Craft, I knew there was so much potential to build up this coven in a story that beautifully blends magical fantasy with horror.”

Writer Sam Maggs previews, “Real witches writing real witches—that’s how we do things over at Archie Comics! I was named after a famous witch—Samantha from Bewitched—and so I grew up absolutely obsessed with everything witchcraft, devouring every book series I could about teen witches. That makes WICKED TRINITY a dream project for me. The power and energy of teen girls is absolutely unmatched (just look at the engine behind fandom culture) and being able to harness that metaphorically for a story like this is such a delight. Everything I write focuses on the power of female friendship, and this story is no exception. And what’s better than a morally grey female character? I struggle to think of anything. Cat familiars, maybe? Also, I’m totally a practicing witch now. So maybe if you read this, you’ll find yourself imbued with magical powers, too.*

Artist Lisa Sterle adds, “I can’t wait for people to be re-introduced to The Wicked Trinity! Witches, fashion, and Archie Comics; this is truly a magical trifecta and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to put my own personal stamp on this. I love to create stories in which girls find their own power, both from within themselves and through their friendships and coven. If you’re a fan of my Modern Witch tarot, you’ll find this comic just as magical.”

Exclusively check out the two covers for The Wicked Trinity one-shot comic below!

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